Futsal legend Falcao believes Neymar's progression into one of the world's best players has been aided by the indoor sport.
Alessandro Rosa Vieira, more commonly known as Falcao, is one of the marquee players in the Premier Futsal league in India, which also features the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Ronaldinho.
Falcao feels futsal has helped a number of young Brazilian talents, given the popularity of the skill-focused game, and remains a prominent part of former Selecao stars Kaka and Robinho's lives.
"Neymar is a great friend of mine," he told Goal. "We are always talking and he asks me about how it is going in India because of Premier Futsal. Neymar also knows that there are other futsal legends here.
"Futsal has helped not only Neymar but Ronaldo, Robinho, Kaka to evolve and it is a fundamental sport back in Brazil played by all schoolkids.
"When you become 12 or 13 then you decide - I picked to stay in futsal and some went to football. All these great players have played futsal and continue to do so even today for fun."
Falcao is captaining the Chennai 5's team and his four goals in two games have not prevented his side losing to Giggs' Mumbai and Michel Salgado's Kochi 5's teams in Group A.
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho netted five times as his Goa 5's team beat Scholes's Bengaluru 5's 7-2 to make amends for a loss to a Hernan Crespo-inspired Kolkata 5's side.
Falcao is delighted with the quality on show in the Premier Fustal thus far, adding: "Futsal is a very attractive sport because it is filled with action, skills, goals and it makes for great viewing.
"For this reason, futsal should do very well. But futsal is different from football. If you go to a football field you get results mostly 0-0 or 1-0s and games are too long.
"Futsal the action is totally different - it is a stronger version and there are more goals. Most importantly it is indoor, when it is raining you can stay and sit with your family watching a great show." - Goal